


This New Life

by presumablynot



Category: Supernatural, Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 16:09:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/presumablynot/pseuds/presumablynot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt by twinkie-pie.tumblr.com for the srs bonus round 1</p><p>"Dean Winchester has been waiting to be Pretty his whole life. It's so boring on this side of the river -- but over there, where people get to live once they're Pretty, it's exciting. You can do what you want, everyone's happy, everyone's gorgeous, and everyone loves it. A few months before he's old enough for the procedure, though, he meets Castiel, who's not so sure he wants to be Pretty. When Cas runs away just a few days before his birthday, Dean follows in an attempt to bring him home before anyone notices. However, what he finds is a whole group of people living outside of the City, Uglies who never got the operation -- including a strong-willed red-head named Anna, who is convinced that your appearance isn't the only thing they change when they make you Pretty.</p><p>((I know this sort of reads like Destiel, but it's intended as Dean/Anna or even Cas/Anna, as I'm pretty sure Tally and Shay both like David for a while when they first meet him))"</p>
            </blockquote>





	This New Life

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never actually read the book Uglies, so I’m just writing based on the prompt, but it seemed exciting so I thought I’d try it. Sorry that it’s way different than the actual book.

Dean was daydreaming again. The closer he got to his eighteenth birthday, the less he could focus on anything but the surgery and what lay beyond for him. 

Sam saw that his brother was distracted, and immediately knew why. “you’re so lucky, dean. I have to wait four more years before I get to be pretty”

“Well, sucks to be you”

“I hope you like it” Sam continued “I mean, everyone wants to be pretty, but I like you the way you are now and I hope you’re happy when you make the switch”

“Damn right I’ll be happy. Why wouldn’t I be?” dean asked, a bit too gruffly.

“Oh, I don’t know…” Sam trailed off.

The next day, dean sat in class and thought about how in just twelve days, he was scheduled for the operation and things would finally go his way. He didn’t usually get much out of math class, but today in particular he didn’t even bother trying to pay attention. 

The bell rang and he shuffled together his belongings and made his way to the building’s exit. Normally he would have kept on walking, but there was a guy there, around sixteen or seventeen years old, who was on the phone and sounded frantic. Dean paused just to find out what was going on and make sure he was okay.

“No, I-“ the guy started saying, but apparently was cut off. “but you don’t understand. That’s just it.” Another break. “there’s so much more to it that you’ve just decided to ignore” another pause. He was now on the verge of tears. “I- can we just talk about this some more later?” one more pause before he hung up. 

“What are you staring at?”

Dean didn’t realize he was still staring. “ I was just worried. You seem pretty worked up”

“Yeah, well, that’s because I am”

Dean waited for an explanation, but a few moments went by and there was silence, so at the risk of sounding pushy, he asked what was wrong”

The boy, who introduced himself as Cas, was upset that he was soon turning eighteen and he was going to have to get the surgery. This was the very surgery that dean had been dreaming about, so he was flabbergasted. He didn’t get why anyone wouldn’t want to become pretty. 

The two strangers had been talking for a bit sat against the wall on the side of the school rather than head home immediately. “If they won’t see reason, I’m running away. I heard of a place where people go who don’t want to be changed.”

“But why would you want that? Why would anyone want that” dean still didn’t get it.

“It’s hard to explain, but I know it’s the right thing. You can come with me just to see if you want.”

That was too much for dean. No way could he abandon the amazing life that lay just twelve days away from him. He gave Cas a weird look, walked to the parking lot where Sam was waiting for him, and drove home. 

Dean told his little brother about what just happened, expecting to get a laugh out of him, but was instead met with serious look. “You don’t think he’s right, do you?”

“Well no,” Sam said, “but I don’t know. Maybe it’s worth considering?”

“You’re crazy. He’s crazy. Yesterday you were jealous, what changed.”

Sam didn’t answer.

The next morning, Dean looked for that Cas kid but didn’t see him. At lunchtime he didn’t find him in the cafeteria. It crossed his mind that maybe he really did go, against his parents’ wishes, but he figured no one would be crazy enough to actually go through with something like that. 

But the next day, he still was not at school. Dean overheard some people talking, and his doubts were finally confirmed.

“I heard Castiel ran away” said a short blonde girl.

“no way! why?” another girl responded. 

“No idea, but I don’t think he’s coming back.”

That did it. Dean knew he had to help this guy who was throwing away his future. He had told him exactly where he was going, so dean knew he had to go there and convince him to come back. He didn’t know why a total stranger made such an impression on him, but he did. Maybe deep down he knew Cas was right to fear the operation.

As soon as school was over, he bolted to the impala, texted Sam that he was sorry but he’d have to walk home today, and drove. He headed north, as per Castiel’s description, and didn’t stop driving except to fill up on gas. Two hours later, he was at Carver Edlund Farms. He found the dirt road that Cas heard about, and he followed it. Only now was he starting to get really nervous. He had no idea what to expect, or even if there’d actually be anyone there at all. It could just be some giant ridiculous scam.

He saw a thin redhead by the side of the road, so he stopped and rolled down the window. “Have you seen a guy named cas- or castiel, whatever weird name he has?”

“and who are you?” she was clearly not ready to trust so quickly. This girl was ugly, he could tell that much, but he couldn’t tell how to charm her enough to get any information.

“I’m dean. I’m looking for my friend” dean said. It was technically a lie since he had only met cas one day ago, and she could hear in his voice that he was nervous. She wasn’t going to make any concessions without finding out more first. 

But just then, Cas approached them. His face brightened and he say “Dean! You came.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all excited. I came to convince you to come back”

“No. No, I’m not coming back. I can’t. It’s not right. Talk to Anna though,” he said gesturing to the girl whose scowl started to ease up, ”she’ll explain it all. She showed me around when I first got here and she’s been very nice.”

“Just park your car over there and then follow me” Anna said.

She led him to an old building with red paint chipping off.

“This is where we sleep and spend most of our free time,” she said. “We’re a tight-knit group, and we don’t often have people join us. Life’s hard out here, but it’s well worth it. We’ve got integrity, and we’ve got our personalities just as they were meant to be. In exchange for food and secrecy, we help out on Mr. Edlund’s farm, so it works out well for all those involved.”

“So,” Dean asked, eyeing a cluster of people playing cards nearby, “is everyone here ugly?”

She met the question with a scowl. “we prefer the term ‘intact.’ Sure we don’t look as good as the Pretties, but why should that matter? And yes, none of us here have gotten the operation. That’s why we stick together. You know what that operation does, right?”

“Sure,” dean said, suddenly not so sure, “it makes you beautiful.”

“It does more than just that, and it’s bad. No one knows exactly what they do to you, but they change a lot more about you than just your looks. I, for one, like myself as I am,” Anna said. 

“Anna, can I-“ dean broke off, “can I stay here a little while until I decide what to do?”

“So then you’re not going back with Cas. Yeah, I never thought you would. You can stay.”

When Cas was telling him these things, they just made him more confused, but coming from Anna, he started to make sense of it all. He couldn’t trust what he always knew about the Pretties or the operation. All of this information was new and frightening, but it was also… liberating. He only had ten days to be fully certain, though, and it didn’t seem like nearly enough time to know how he was to spend the rest of his life- on the other side of the river, or here, with Anna and the rest.

Anna and Dean, originally wary of each other, grew fonder and more trusting of one another over the next few days. 

“You know, I think I could get used to staying here. I mean, I’d miss my brother and my friends, but I like the people here.” He liked her in particular, but wouldn’t say that out loud.

“It’s a big commitment. We’re breaking the law by being here, you know. Once you hit your birthday, you can’t just change your mind.”

They were leaning against the wall underneath the staircase after a long day working the fields. Just a few inches apart, Dean looked over at Anna, placed his hand on hers, and said “it’s worth it.”

She smiled at him, and in that moment, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.


End file.
